Simpson to reunite with Jinks for Welsh Road Race

FORMER Thundersport Supertwin champ and Manx GP Senior winner John Simpson is to tackle next summer’s Welsh Road Race as he returns to the Trickbits fold with Paul Jinks.

The Antrim man has returned from a season in the Argentinian Superbike Championship with DPR Kawasaki, and has now confirmed he will head to the inaugural Welsh event next August with Jinks and the crew.

Simpson plans to race in two classes, piloting the Trickbits JHS SVR18 in the Supertwin race and the Triumph 675 in Supersport.

And he also plans to race in other events across the 2018 season, which look set to include outings in both roads and short circuit races.

Simpson narrowly edged out this year’s Supertwin champ Jonny Towers for the 2016 title in a war that went down to the wire…

“I’m delighted that we can confirm John is back and will ride with us again in 2018,” said team head honcho, Jinks. “It’s been strange not having him around this year, and I’m very excited about working with him again.

“This is a totally new event and as soon as I heard about it, I knew it would be perfect for John. He’s a proven winner on the roads and I think he is going to be a serious threat in Wales.”

Simpson jetted off to warmer climes this year after taking the Thundersport Supertwins title at the final round in 2016 aboard Jinks’ Trickbits machine.

But in the past he has been equally successful on the roads. He famously won the 2012 Manx Grand Prix Senior race as a newcomer aboard the Splitlath Redmond Trickbits Triumph – built by Jinks.

And he also taken numerous wins at Aberdare Park, winning the Welsh Open two years in a row.

“Looking at the track in Wales, I know it’s going to be perfect for John,” added Jinks. “He’s been watching the onboards and really fancies it, so we’ll be going all out to win.

“There’s absolutely no reason why he can’t be a serious contender. John is a very talented rider and it’s fantastic that he’s coming back to join us. We’ve worked together for many years now, and I’ve always rated him very highly.

“He’s had a year in the sun and now he’s looking forward to coming back and getting stuck into it here. His experience at the Manx and Aberdare will see him well there I think, and we will hopefully also be able to confirm some other events soon.”

Simpson’s announcement comes just days after Welsh Road Race bosses announced they were extending the event from two to three days due to competitor and public demand